Paul Dyer
After 27 years as Headteacher of St Lawrence School Paul Dyer stands down this month (at time of going to print). Mike Thatcher met up with him to hear him reflect on his time at the helm of the village school.
Paul Dyer is a fiercely private man; he told me that in so many words. So interviewing him about his life, rather than solely about his role as Headteacher of St Lawrence, proved a challenge. His skills as a speaker and for setting the agenda of any meeting far outclassed any journalistic skills I may, or may not, possess but it mattered not, as the passion and emotion with which he described his tenureship at the school was a privilege to hear. A generation of students and parents will never have seen him out of a tie and trademark blue V-neck jumper, most often congratulating pupils after a performance or assembly, his head swinging suddenly round like an owl to address all parts of the Hall. He clearly likes it that way.
He was raised in Shoreham and has nothing but fond memories of growing up: “What an idyllic childhood that was; we just played all the time in the street. I formed my own football club, Adur Royals FC, which then became Buckingham FC and we entered a local Sunday league. I then became chairman of that local Sunday League before I went to college.”
He was a Sussex athlete and, following in the footsteps of an inspiring young teacher at his school, went to St Luke’s College in Exeter to do PE, putting his academic journey on hold. “For years I was head of a PE department but I wanted to do everything else as well; so I taught French at the same time, then history and literature,” Paul continued. “Later, I took a maths degree as I wanted to teach maths. I still teach a little, but not a lot.”
Within a year of going to St Luke’s he’d became secretary of the athletics club, having turned down a request from their football club to do similar, showing clear signs of being an administrator from an early age.
“After a year as a teacher I became head of department but never wanted to be a Head. But I guess it was inevitable; I had experience in London of being an interim deputy then I took a deputy headship in Surrey as we wanted to move out of London.”
He was one of eight interviewed for the post at St Lawrence School, six of whom were serving Heads. He was offered the job at 8pm on the second evening, and a passing corridor comment of ‘you’d better be good’ left him with no illusions about the scale of the task.
“Nothing prepared me for Hurstpierpoint and Headship 27 years ago. For example, I had never had to deal with Social Services and my first term here was dominated by attending SS meetings.” However, he felt personally welcomed, and was indeed invited into many houses in the village for dinner, but he did sense an anti-school feeling in the village.
[Read the full article in April 2020 issue of Hurst Life magazine]
